


The Silent Force

by roguelightning



Category: Sanctuary (TV), Sanctuary (TV) RPF, Within Temptation (Band)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 14:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 19,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1652405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguelightning/pseuds/roguelightning
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to The Temptation Within. While Sharon tries to adapt to her current situation, Victor finds a new way of fighting her. I have no idea where I am going with this yet and I have no idea why I keep writing for this world I created and I generally have no idea at all xD.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Restless

                I have always loved concerts. When I get on the stage, that part of me I hate so much, the one who still reminds me of that pitiful little boy that lived behind my eyes when I was little, that boy who had never had any friends besides his music, that boy I now hate so much, because no God wants to be reminded that once he was weak, dies a little.

                Of course, I didn’t feel like this at first. At first, I was just a rising star like thousands others, trying to make my way to the top. Some would say I was better at it than others, that it was pure luck, but it was a lot more than that.

                Even when fame found its way to me, I still had no sense of possibility. I used to think that I was there for the benefit of my fans, that they are the ones who brought me where I was and that I should spend my life being thankful to them. But, of course, I was wrong.

                It seemed a day like any other before it. I got on the stage and the audience went mad when they saw me, as usual. It happened in the blink of an eye. I lifted one finger to my lips, gesturing them to make silence, and they listened. Complete, utter silence in just a second. And then, I saw her. I have had many more after her, but she is one I am never going to forget.

                She had come to the concert with someone else – her sister, her friend, I didn’t know – and the other one didn’t seem too happy to be there. But of course, she only had eyes for me. I started singing, my eyes never leaving her as I lowered my voice to a whisper, only to watch her die a little on the inside.

                I stopped in the middle of the song and offered her my hand, helping her to climb on the stage. I will never forget the look on her face. She was completely lost in me, all her senses screaming at her to touch me, just to make sure I was real. In that moment, I felt as powerful as a God. And being the merciful god that I am, I pulled her closer to me and danced with her as my band played one of the slowest songs I have.

                I could feel her body trembling as I let my fingers go through her hair and then at the back of her neck, caressing her slowly. I still think I fell in love a bit that day. Not with her, because to tell you the truth she wasn’t strikingly beautiful, but with what she was giving to me. She was probably not one day over 18 years and I could feel her lack of experience on her like a cheap perfume. Poor girl. She was probably desperate for love. For my love. And that was when I realized that was exactly what I was going to give her.

                I pulled her closer to me, letting my lips gently brush her neck. “What’s your name?” I asked, my voice nothing but a whisper. It was a wonder she was able to reply to me in the state that she was. But I managed to find out that her name was Sarah. It was strange to have something that made her seem human, but I know it was just an illusion. Right at that moment, she wasn’t Sarah. She was nothing more than an addict who had just received an overdose of her favorite drug.

                “Do you have any plans tonight?” I asked, keeping my voice on the same tone and she watched me with the most incredulous look I had ever seen. Not because she had started to think that it was irrational or something like that, but because she probably didn’t think herself worthy of this. At last, she shook her head in denial.

                “Then wait me after the concert.” I whispered as my lips left her neck and hovered over hers for just a few seconds. I then took her hand in my own and presented her to the public. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Sarah.” I said and, as we bowed together in front of the audience, my eyes scanned the other girls in the audience. I had thought that what Sarah felt for me made me powerful, but it didn’t even begin to compare to what the rest of the girls did to me. Their looks were of pure anger and for one second I thought that if I am going to leave Sarah return to them, they were going to kill her. For one second, I felt that they would kill anybody if I told them too. My own army. It sounded too good to be true.

                The rest of the concert went on normally, but I found myself thinking about her almost all the time.  So, in a way, I guess it’s no wonder that, after the concert had finished, I practically ran to the exit, barely apologizing to the rest of my band for leaving them alone.

                Of course, Sarah was waiting for me. “I didn’t think you would come.” she admitted, letting her fears be heard for the first time.

                “Of course I did.” I smiled at her. “I have never felt like this before, Sarah. You woke something in me, something I didn’t even think it existed.”

                “But you’re… you can’t possibly like me. I know you, and I know it sounds crazy saying that, but I listened to all your albums and all your interviews and I learned them by heart, hoping that one day I would get to talk to you, for even a second, but you actually _liking_ me? I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming, because this is the only reasonable explanation for this.”

                To that, I said nothing, but I moved closer to her, passing a finger over her lips, watching the last bit of innocence dying inside her. She wanted me so much it hurt her. When I had helped her up on the stage, she was just an innocent girl having a crush on me, but now…  The fires of her desire burned in her eyes as she watched me, and it was something so depraved in that look, so impure and yet so sexy at the same time that it made me hard. I kissed her trembling lips fiercely, trying to drink in as much of her as I could.

                “I am definitely dreaming.” she barely had the strength to speak when our lips parted, and I couldn’t help smirking at her.

                “To die, to sleep, to sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub, for in this sleep of death what dreams may come...” I told her as my fingers found their way under her skirt and she sighed dreamily. “Shakespeare. It had to be Shakespeare.” Somewhere in between, her body realized that I was hard as a rock, my erection throbbing against her thigh, and, as if my body had sent her a silent message, she pushed herself in it, cursing silently. I kissed her breasts through her clothing, sucking gently at one of her nipples as my fingers caressed her through her underwear, but she didn’t need any more encouraging. My words had already turned her into a wet mess.

                And then, she said it. Those three words that changed my life. “My God, William.” I couldn’t think of a more proper title for me in that second. I was her lover, her god – a sex god too judging by how wet she was, her everything. I could have had sex with her, but to take only that for her when she could give me so much more simply seemed insulting at the time.

                I still don’t remember how my free hand found its way to my pocket and I still don’t know how I was able to find my knife in the heat of the moment. I had carried that pocket knife with me for all my life, since my father had given it to me, but I had never really used it until that day. The only thing I remember is that seconds later, her warm blood was all over me, dripping from her now bleeding neck. I watched in shock as she collapsed on the ground, but I couldn’t bring myself to help her. She didn’t deserve helping, after all. I had been her God and I had decided that her petty existence had to be put to an end, so I did it. Simple as that. I watched fascinated as her blood went down my fingers and I put one of them into my mouth, drinking her in the only way she deserved.

                “So much potential going to a waste.” I heard someone behind me and I quickly turned around, feeling the world collapsing around me. They were going to find out, and I was going to be killed for my actions. I did the only thing that was reasonable at the time. I pointed my knife at the unknown man, urging him to stay away, but he only laughed at me.

                “Please, William. You can’t kill a God. It’s something you will get to learn.”

                “You’re no God.” I defied him, but my voice was trembling.

                “Of course I’m not. And you’re not one either… or are you?”

                “What?”

                “I know what you have been thinking with this girl, William. I looked deep into your soul and I loved what I saw there. I can make your wildest dreams come true. It doesn’t have to be just Sarah, and it doesn’t have to be this messy.”

                “What’s in it for you?” I asked, still not knowing if I should trust him.

                “Not much. Just the head of a hydra. Or two, depending on how you put it. I’m more concerned about one of them anyway. By the way, my name is Victor.”


	2. Dark Wings

                If she had to choose the one thing she hated the most about the whole thing, it would have been the dreams. She had had them before, but they couldn’t even begin to compare with what she had now. Darkness surrounding her from all places. Empty allies in the middle of the night walked by heaven knows what- yes, it had become a question of _what_ lately and she hated that as much as pretty much everything else. She had no idea how she had managed to keep it all hidden from Robert and her family, but she was glad she had. They most certainly didn’t need any of this mess in their lives.

                Of course, not everything was bad- correction; everything was, except the library. Katherine still couldn’t tell her how she was able to enter it without being dead. The first time she had entered it after Cassandra, it looked like it could use a bit of dusting. Even if it had only been a dream, her all senses had been aware of the library, of Cassandra’s presence in every book and on every page. A legacy she couldn’t even begin to comprehend, but a legacy that she had the duty to continue. Not such a big deal right? Compared to that, working on a new album seemed a piece of cake.

                She sighed when she remembered about that. Right. Her new album. _Hydra_ hadn’t even been released yet, but that didn’t mean she could afford taking a break. Music was the only thing in her life that still made a little bit of sense and she wasn’t going to give it up.

                “The library still doesn’t like you.” Katherine said and Sharon turned around at her.

                “I’m guessing that’s the least of my problems, actually.”

                “I’m afraid you’re right. It’s time for your first.”

                “What?” Sharon asked, panic in her voice. “I thought I’m only getting to the reviving part when I die.”

                “Actually, you thought you’d be able to stop the reviving part from being necessary, and you did, but there are some deaths that you just can’t stop. Of course, saving that girl last month was pretty impressive, I’ll give you that, but as much as I’d like this new side of Mother Maiden, we also need the first one.”

                “That girl was an accident.” Sharon sighed. “I still have no idea how I did it.”

                “Nevertheless, you entered her dreams and sang to her and got her to give up killing herself. What was it?”

                “The Heart Of Everything. But I doubt that this is going to work now.”

                “Well get her to stay, at least. She’s not dead yet.”

                “Then can’t we do something, get her to call the ambulance like we did last time or-“

                “ _Yet_ means she probably only has a few minutes left, Sharon. She can’t be saved, but there is still a chance for her soul.”

                 “No.”

                “You’ve did it before, Sharon.” Katherine sighed. “Trust me, I know how you feel, but you have no other choice. It’s just a dream.”

                “No, no, no. It’s not just a dream. It’s a complex mind controlling operation that I’m supposed to perform on a girl who is God knows how many miles away and will perceive it as a dream- that is, if I’m lucky.”

                “Like I said, just a dream.” Katherine smiled. “You know this is in the job description.”

                 “I didn’t ask for any of this, Katherine.” Sharon sighed and Katherine felt her heart breaking. She wished she could have been a little gentler to her, but she had no choice. Things have gone completely mad since Cassandra had left. Not to say she missed the old woman, because this new girl had her charm, but she was too young at the same time. And her methods were very different. She had watched her being successful once, but she didn’t know if that was going to be enough. The first girl had been still alive, but this one…

                 “Welcome to the club, kiddo.” Katherine smiled sadly.

                “Still no.”

                “Her name is Sarah, Sharon. Sarah Jones. She is 18 years old and her life was taken from her in a matter of seconds. But it doesn’t have to be like this, Sharon. You have the power to change it.”

                “You don’t know that.”

                “Cassandra did. She saw something in you, God knows what, but she did, and I am going to trust her on that.”

                “Because you always had.”

                “Because after one hundred years of seeing all the evil in the world, hope is the only thing you have left. And you are my only hope at the moment. But it’s not me that matters. You’re Sarah’s only hope too. Don’t let her death be in vain, Sharon. Her killer won’t stop here and she could be the one who can stop him.”

                “It won’t work.”

                “Probably not.” Katherine sighed. “But you have to try. Close your eyes and try to see her.”

                Fighting her rational mind as hard as she could, Sharon listened. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy if she had to be honest with herself, but she hadn’t expected the pain either. The pain of a girl who had never been wanted, who had never really belonged anywhere, until she had met him. Her true love. The one who she could go to in times of need, the only one who understood her. Of course, all her so called friends didn’t get it. How could she possibly love someone who didn’t even know she existed? But she never listened to them. Being close to him, listening to his voice had woke up feelings in her that she hadn’t known they were possible. When she had finally met him and he had kissed her it felt like a dream. A dream that was shattered to a million pieces and what was the worst thing was that there still was a part of her that thought it had been all worth it. She could see her body lying on the ground, blood dripping from her neck wound and she couldn’t help wondering what was next for her. If love meant death, then what did dying mean?

                “Sarah?” The young girl turned around, her thoughts beginning to make sense. Sarah. That was her name when she was still alive. But she didn’t know the woman that was standing in front of her. Was she death? She had expected something else.

                “Who are you?”

                “It doesn’t really matter. But you can call me Sharon. That’s my name.” Sharon smiled at her. _Was my name. When I didn’t spend my dreams saving lost souls like I am now_.

                “Have you come to take me?”

                “Actually, no. I need you to live, Sarah. Don’t make this harder for me than it already is. You have to live. You have to fight death.”

                “What’s the use?” Sarah sighed, taking a look at her body. “Nobody loves me and what is worse nobody needs me.”

                “I’m sure that’s not true. You have to have friends, a family, something.”

                “I had one man who I would have died for. The rest meant almost nothing to me, and I meant nothing to them.”

                “Then you still have him.”

                “Do I now? He is the one who killed me.”

                “Then you have to live to make him pay.”

                “Revenge? I love him, Sharon. I could never bear the thought of hurting him, even if he did hurt me. You’ll probably think I’m mad, but the moment he kissed me… I had everything, for a second, you know? I thought I was important, if only for one second. But now it’s all gone.”

                “I love a smart girl when I see one.” A voice called from the dark, sending chills down Sharon’s spine.

                “Victor. I was wondering if you’d show up.” She said coldly.

                “Kiddo. Can’t say I’ve missed you.” Victor smirked at her. “The girl is mine. Don’t you have a rehearsal to be at or something?”

                “It can wait.”

                “They’ll find out one day, you know. You can’t keep it from them forever and you’re still too alive for this. I can’t wait the day I’ll take you.”

                “Yes well excuse me if I’m not that excited about it.” Sharon spat at him. “Don’t listen to him, Sarah. Fight it. I know you’re bleeding, but if you can fight it a bit more until the ambulance arrives, then…”

                “Then you’ll die a slow agonizing death in front of your family and make them suffer even more than you already did. Peachy, isn’t it?” Victor laughed. “You neglected them, Sarah. All for a guy that can’t even begin to love you. But I can change that. I got him to work for me and this means that if you come with me you will be able to have him. Not entirely, of course, because you’ll both have things to do during the night, but during the day… You and him can be together, just like you’ve always wanted.”

                “With me being dead?”

                “With you being his muse, Sarah. Do you even know what dead is like? I could make you a ghost or a poltergeist if you want the touching part too, and I think you will agree that he needs a muse, and think about it. You know how good he’s now, but with you on his side… He’ll get famous and it will all be thanks to you.”

                “Are you seriously trying to get her to help the guy who killed her?”

                “Love has many ways, Sharon and not all are as boring as being with a guy for what?  More than 18 years and not loving him enough to marry him, even if you have three kids with him. Why would you understand love?”

                “As opposed to a guy that had sent his wife to death and then made her eternity a living hell, literally? Really, Victor, you’re not one to talk.”

                “Don’t listen to her, Sarah. She’s new in the field. But I’m not. My deal is simple: give me your soul and you will be able to be with your beloved William for as long as you want.”

                “Sarah, you can’t do that.” Sharon pleaded. “Please, don’t you die on me. You haven’t made your peace and going with him will only make things worse.”

                “I’m tired of fighting, Sharon. And if he says he can help me… There’s nothing left for me on this Earth. Maybe I’ll find peace on the other side.”

                “The only thing you’ll find on the other side is death, Sarah. And you’re too young for that. You have your whole life ahead of you and I’m not going to let you waste it for the promise of being with the guy who killed you.”

                “She’s too harsh, Sarah. Were you even alive before meeting him? I think we both know the answer to that. You began living through him so I guess you can say he only took back what he had given to you.”

                “He’s right, Sharon.” Sarah sighed. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but there is nothing special about me. And if he can change that…”

                “You know, Sharon, this is exactly why you’re not good for the job. Maybe you can sing, but you have nothing on me. And maybe Cassandra thought that your songs are powerful enough to defeat me, but well Cassie was always a bit… you know. Crazy. Are you coming, Sarah?” Victor asked with a smile on his face and the girl stepped forwards to him, taking one more look at her body that was lying motionless in the alley. The last image Sharon had seen was Victor holding the girl’s hand as they both disappeared into the darkness and she was left alone in the alley, unable to stop herself from humming _Dark Wings_.

                “What happened?” Katherine asked and she couldn’t hold her tears back anymore. “I lost her.”


	3. Whole World Is Watching

                “Helen, do we really need to listen to that song every time we go to bed?” Nikola sighed. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it is a nice song and the part with the rising was pretty interesting in a kinky way-of course until you shot me for saying that-“

                “And with good reason.” Helen spat at him. “I’m not having you turn our song into something kinky. I like kinky, but not with this. Don’t give me that look.”

                “Yeah but I haven’t seen you this obsessed with a song since Gershwin wrote you _Rhapsody in Blue_ and I’m sorry but that was real music. Granted, I would have never been on board with a threesome with you and Gershwin, but I still liked him more.”

                “Well I’m sorry, but Gershwin didn’t write us a song, he wrote _me_ a song. And it wasn’t about the destruction of the Sanctuary and about all the sacrifices we did to get where we are and most of all, it wasn’t about how we can still manage to survive after all of this.”

                “Still like the other one more.”

                “It has _wine_ in it of course you like it more.” Helen laughed. “But I’m still playing this before we go to sleep.”

                “Next thing I know you’ll go with Henry to the next concert. What? Don’t tell me you bought tickets.”

                “Three. I knew you’d want to come too. Not sure how much she misses you but you owe a lot to her.”

                “Can’t argue with that.” Nikola sighed. “Fine. But this is the last time you’re listening to that song.”

                “Deal.” Helen said. “For today” she added in a whisper, causing him to roll his eyes. He rolled her over, trapping her underneath him as he licked her neck causing her to moan. “I heard that. Vampire, remember?”

                “Shut it.”

                “Oh I will. I have much more interesting things to do with my mouth. And if the whole world is watching, I might as well give it something to-ouch.” He added as Helen slapped him over his behind. “Alright, alright, no more kinky stuff about your girlfriend’s songs got it.”

                “For the last time, Nikola, she’s not-“

                “I know, I know. Doesn’t stop me from picturing though.” He smirked, causing Helen to roll her eyes. He was insufferable sometimes.

                She was asleep a few hours late when she heard someone walking through her room. She took her gun from under the pillow and pointed it at the intruder, but the woman only smiled sadly at her.

                “Hi Helen.”

                “Sharon? What are you doing here?”

                “Here?” She asked as she took a look around her trying to adjust to the sight that was in front of her. “I’m in your bedroom. Right. I’m sorry but it’s taking me a while to adjust to this whole dreaming thing.”

                “You’re dreaming?”

                “We both are, in a way, even if it’s more like a trance to me. It’s hard to explain. I bet you’d be better at it, but…”

                “Telepathy.”

                “Shared dreams, stuff that I create in other people’s minds, but if you want to be blunt about it, then yes, I’m guessing telepathy.”

                “So you made me picture you in my bedroom wearing that?” Helen laughed. “I wanted to tell you how much I love it anyway. The roses are a very nice touch.”

                “Figured you might like it. But I’m not the one who made you think I’m wearing it. It’s not a friendly visit, Helen, I’m sorry. I didn’t have the time to fix all the details. Sometimes I do, but when I’m not… they’re either fixed randomly or, in your case, I’d say you chose to dream about me dressed like this. Which means you’ve been following me. Reading articles about me and all that.”

                “Do you mind?”

                “What? No. Of course not. Just that I don’t know, having an over 276 year old woman as a fan is something new for me.”

                “Oh so this is your problem and not the whole you being Mother Maiden thing.” She knew she had said something wrong the moment the words left her mouth. Sharon had tried to fake it, to convince her that she was happy and that she had just come there to talk like two old friends, but there was something in her look that had been changed. She wasn’t the Sharon she had met a few months before. She was a lot more… mature now and had something in her look that made Helen think that she had witnessed a bit more than she could have handled.

                “I lost a girl, Helen.” Sharon sighed. “I thought I could bring her back or at least make sure she gets in the right place, but…”

                “Victor?” Helen asked and Sharon nodded. “He is right, Helen. A few songs can’t fight evil. I tried to, but I can’t. I’m too young for this.”

                “Maybe that’s exactly why you were chosen, Sharon.”

                “What?”

                “Well I bet you’re thinking I would have been much better at this, but the truth is being this old means you have a lot of dirty things in your history. Cassandra had them too, in a way, and maybe this is why they felt the need of someone who is more… innocent, so to say. I don’t really know. But what I can tell you is that every time I’ve met someone with a special ability, they had that ability to change something. Maybe not a big thing, but they all meant something to the world, through their powers.”

                “So I’m what? Something that makes sure that Victor will win?”

                “You’re one of the most talented people I’ve ever known and you changed the lives of too many people to count. So you lost a girl. You can’t save everybody, Sharon, especially if they don’t want to be saved. It took me a while to understand that, but the truth is it’s not your fault. You just need to believe in yourself a bit more and it will come to you somehow. I’m sure Katherine can help you with this.”

                “She tried to.” Sharon sighed. “But Cassandra well, you know her, she did that electric stuff that got the souls back in the bodies and I obviously can’t do it, because I tried, so the only thing I have is talking them out of dying and out of giving up and frankly, I’m not that good at it.”

                “Maybe you’re asking the wrong Victorian girl to help you.” Helen smiled. “If you want my help, I’ll do my best to give it to you.”

                “I need more than pep talking, Helen, and no offense but you had no idea how Cassandra did it so I don’t know how you could teach me to do it.”

                “Maybe that’s your problem. Maybe you don’t need to do this her way. If she wanted her way, she could have picked Nikola, after all, he has a history with sort of bringing people back with electricity. But she chose you.”

                “As in a woman who is only good at singing. Victor keeps saying she was crazy and I hate to agree with him, but…”

                “Don’t let him get to you, Sharon. You’re a lot better than that. You just need to find something that gives you strength. Find what really matters to you and find a way to use it in your favor.”

                “And we’re back to the singing part.”

                “Is it that odd? Historically speaking, singing was present in many rituals that are supposed to protect you from evil.”

                “So what do you suggest? I should get naked and sing and dance in front of a fire the next time?”

                “I suggest that if a singer was chosen to be the next Mother Maiden, this is probably exactly what the world needs now. I have no idea why, at least not yet, but I’m sure we will both find out very soon.”

                “Last time you said something like that you almost got killed, your boyfriend almost got to be a murderer and we lost what was probably our only hope in fighting evil.”

                “Also true. But we also found you and God help me, but I ended up trusting you.”

                “So you trust me now when you know I’m Mother Maiden and you never trusted me when you suspected me of it. Makes perfect sense.”

                “It does, doesn’t it?” Helen laughed. “This doesn’t mean I’m on board with you bringing back people from the dead and getting them to kill others, for the record. I get that they need to get their souls redeemed somehow, but I’m sure there are other ways.”

                “And this doesn’t mean I’m on board with you cracking my computer and copying _Hydra_ from it… I think it was three weeks before the official release?”

                “Not me, I promise.”

                “What, now I’m being hacked by a werewolf?”

                “You make it sound insulting. I did threaten to fire him, at least until he shared.”

                “And you’ve been listening to _Whole World is Watching_ on repeat since then?”

                “Mind reading too?”

                “Well not necessarily, but I did get in your head to give you this dream and this is one of the first things I found. Oh well. It was written for you anyway so I suppose it had to find its way to you somehow.”

                “I knew it.”

                “Well of course I can’t make it an official dedication and I know it’s not much for a woman who probably got songs from every important singer in the last 100 years but I wanted to do this for you two. Don’t get me wrong, I still think you and Nikola are…”

                “Completely fucked up.”

                “Something like that. But you showed me sides of life that I hadn’t known existed and I wanted to thank you somehow for everything. It was the least I could do.”

                “I’m hoping you’re listening to it too, Sharon. Just saying.”

                “I’m not sure I get what you mean.”

                “Well to tell you the truth, I don’t know anyone who needs to save herself and to find out who she is more than you do now, Sharon. I don’t know what I can say to help you, but I’ll say this: you said that I almost got myself killed the last time, and you were right. But if it happens again, I’m fine with that. I’m a lot finer with it than I had been the last time. Because I know that this time, if I get to be brought back, you’ll be the one who does it. And it sounds better for me than it did in Cassandra’s age.”

                “Sharon, are you alright?” Ruud asked her, bringing her back to reality. “The Q&A is about to start.” Right. Have a dream conversation with a 276 year old woman in one second and then have a Q&A session on Youtube in the next one. Just another day at work.

                “Sure. We can start anytime.” Sharon smiled at him. “I was just resting my eyes.”

                “OK, then, pick your first question.” Ruud told her and she got closer to the screen as she watched more and more comments appearing on it. She unconsciously bit her lip as she tried to pick a really good question to start with, but her hand froze on the mouse.

                “What?” Ruud asked and she tried her best to pretend that nothing had happened. “Here’s a good one.” She said as she pointed at a random question, thankful that the questions were appearing too fast for him to keep track of them. But nothing could change the fact that she had just seen the strangest question ever. _Where am I?_ Posted from an account called SJones.


	4. Final Destination

                For a second, she had thought she had managed to escape it all. Victor or whatever his name was kept calling for her, his voice swarming in her head, coursing through her veins and whispering sweet promises to her, and then it wasn’t even his voice but William’s and she would have  listened to him if it hadn’t been for that song that had started playing in her head. Slow at first, but then it had got more and more powerful and for a brief second it had been the only thing that she had been able to hear. That was the second when she decided she wasn’t going to die, so she had fought death with every ounce of strength she had had left, but it hadn’t been enough. Her body had betrayed her and she was forced to leave it and now she was… wherever she was now.

                 She didn’t imagine it was going to be this bad. There had been times before, when she had felt lonely and she had thought that nobody loved her, when she had wished for death, but it hadn’t been like this. Not that she was sure she was dead. If she had to be completely honest with herself, she couldn’t have said if what she had done had been a dream or not. There had been a few seconds when she felt powerful. She had felt lighter than a feather and she had allowed herself to… spread, or at least she thought that this was a pretty close word to describing what she had done. With only a few lyrics to guide her, she had found a woman who looked so much like the one who had tried to save her in the night of her death, and she had screamed the only thing that made sense to her at the moment. _Where am I?_ But she hadn’t answered and Sarah had been forced to return in her little corner of the universe, now knowing the answer to her question.

                In a way, she was in the same place she had ever been- home. But it wasn’t her home anymore. Everywhere she looked around, she could see his face. Her William. Her love, her death, her everything. But his eyes were now filled with disgust and not with love. The same eyes she had dreamed about so many times, the eyes she had seen burning with passion before he had killed her, those eyes were looking at her as if she was the least important thing on the face of the Earth. And of course she was.  She was nothing without him. He had probably killed her out of mercy, to end her pitiful existence and for that she was grateful, but that was pretty much it. She just wished that wasn’t purgatory, because she didn’t know if she could afford living in the same room with him for the rest of her eternity.

                And then, there were the voices. At first, she couldn’t hear them too well, but then the whispers got louder and louder until she could hear every single one screaming in her head. Thousands of notes calling for her from another land, from where everything was… real, or at least so it seemed. But was really any of it real? No, of course not. But reality wasn’t that good either. So nobody could have really blamed her for trying to find a sanctuary far from everything else. And it just happened that she felt the need for this sanctuary to be ruled by him. And for a while, it had worked. But now when she was closer to it than she had ever been, it didn’t feel like peace. She could feel the walls closing in on her and in that moment, everyone who thought hell was fiery red seemed like a fool to her. Because her hell was going to be blue.

*************************************************************************************

                “Remind me again why did I allow you to bring me into this?” William asked, making Victor roll his eyes.

                “Good question. I don’t know. It could have been the part when I offered you ten people that sworn they had seen you miles away from Sarah the night she had been killed or the part where I said I was going to make you a God…”

                “Tune down the sarcasm you imp. Speaking of which, how does the God part work? All you ever did was posing as my new manager and sign me up for an interview and I have no idea how this is going to help me.”

                “I’m going to tell you, don’t worry. But don’t call me an imp again if you want to live. I’m a lot more than that. And you’re forgetting your part of the deal. You promised to help me get rid of a girl.”

                “Right. The hydra. I always wondered what’s the deal with her. She seems harmless and yet she scares the hell out of you. What’s the deal with her? She can’t be human.”

                “Oh but she is, in a way. That’s what pisses me off.”

                “The great Victor, scared by a mortal.” William laughed. “I bet there are going to be songs about this in the future. Maybe I’ll write one myself.”

                “Listen, junior.” Victor said as he put his hand around William’s neck, making him choke. “She is nothing to me. I can kill her in a heartbeat, but that is not the point. If she dies now when her damn album is on top of possibly every single chart in the world, I achieve nothing.”

                “You want to kill the influence she has on people.”

                “Yes. In a way, she is so much like you. She is nothing without her fans and her family and if I take these from her, she’ll come begging to me to give them back. And then I’ll kill her.”

                “Seems like a plan to me.” William tried to laugh. “Now can you please let me breathe? You still didn’t tell me how I can help.”

                “You need to know her first. Here.” Victor said as he typed a few words on William’s laptop and showed it to him.

                “You’re kidding me.”

                “I wish I was. What? She’s not what you expected?”

                “I expected a 60 year old nun who sings in churches and helps the poor. This is… well. Different.”

                “Welcome to my life. And to think I worked with people in her industry before but no, she has to be all powerful lyrics and keep on fighting and never give up and don’t die on her and stuff like that.” Victor puffed in disgust.

                “Well at least she’s… damn.”

                “No. Don’t even think about it.”

                “What first you want me to play sex god on 18 year old girls and now you’re telling me this one is off limits? It’s not fair.”

                “She’s not 18, and I would love to see you try. I’d probably have the laugh of my life. She is taken, William. But hey, if you can do it, I guess it would help our plan in the end.”

                “Then it’s settled.” William said licking his lips. “When do we start?”

                “How about now?”

                “Good. What do I have to do?”

                “That’s quite easy, actually.” Victor grinned at him, grabbing his neck again. He tightened his grip until William started choking, relishing the way fear filled his eyes as realization that he was going to die came to his mind. He only released the younger man when he wasn’t breathing anymore and then got up, watching him as he collapsed on the ground. “You just have to die.” He laughed at William’s corpse. “I never liked you anyway.”

*************************************************************************************

                “Sharon, believe me, I want this as much as you do, for her to be alive or at least not dead, but putting all your hopes on this… Maybe your brain played a trick on you. And even if it didn’t, there can be a lot of Sarah Joneses, not to mention that she could have been a Susan or whatever, not to mention that-“

                “She was her, Katherine, I know that.” Sharon sighed. “I can feel it.”

                “I’ve been there. The first thing you do after you come back is not getting online and checking your Youtube account.”

                “Yes well sorry I’m afraid I’ll have to ask somebody who _had_ a Youtube account when they died about this.”

                “Mean. Speaking of asking, just because you can get in people’s dreams it doesn’t mean you have the right to make a sport out of it you know.”

                “You know I talked to Helen.”

                “I keep a watch on her, remember? She can’t help you with this and unless she needs our help you have no reason to talk to her. I’m sorry, but this is what it’s like.”

                “Well I figured she could help me control… Whatever this is. She has a bit of experience in her field you have to give her that. She did fix your diet, at least.”

                “Technically speaking. Give me a target and we can forget the antelopes. I know she got you aboard  the _we don’t kill people even if they’re killers_ train, but I can’t live on antelopes forever. And you don’t get to make the rules here anyway.”

                “So you got on a diet because…”

                “Because I’m busy enough babysitting you and I don’t have the time to do police work, but once I get you on track we’ll both get back to normal.”

                “As in you and Mother Maiden.”

                “Yes.”

                “What about Sharon?”

                “I don’t know if there is a place for her in this life, Sharon. Not for the old one, that’s for sure. I’m sorry, but I don’t know how well you will be able to handle the double life thing and if you have to give up one of them…”

                “I have to be Mother Maiden.” Sharon sighed. “I got that.”

                “Have you been able to find anything useful?” Katherine asked.

                “Actually, I have. According to her Youtube profile, our SJones is obsessed with a certain William Carlton. She has uploaded over 50 videos of him.”

                “So our Sjones is an 18 years old girl that is obsessing over a singer. Great. That totally narrows it down.”

                “Actually, it may.” Sharon smiled. “Where did you want to go when you died?”

                “What do you mean where? Like hell or heaven or- I just wanted my daughter to be safe. It was all I could think of.”

                “Exactly. So if presumably Sarah died and she didn’t go with Victor after all, where would she go?”

                “You can’t go anywhere, Sharon, not that I know of. You want to, but you’re too scared and you just keep floating over your body and you still don’t know where to go because nobody wants you and you’re aware of that and all you can do is stay there and watch your body as it begins decaying. It’s not the best feeling in the world.”

                “Yes but you died last century.” Sharon smiled. “Things have changed.”

                “OK, the gal was really obsessed.” Katherine said when Sharon opened another page that had a background consisting of more than 10 pictures of William or whatever his name was. “What the hell is this?”

                “Something that will prove if I’m wrong or not.” Sharon smiled as she clicked the picture of an envelope that was on the top of the page. Her hands were trembling when she had typed just a few words. _Are you here, Sarah? It’s Sharon. We need to talk._ She hit the refresh button as often as she could in the next minutes, making Katherine roll her eyes.

                “You know you are awfully weird some-“ She started saying but stopped mid sentence when Sharon passed a finger over her lips and then pointed at the computer screen. A new post had appeared on the page. _I could have got used to the wings, Sharon, but this…_


	5. Are You The One

“Hey, Doc, I was wondering…” Henry started saying a bit uncertain as he got into Helen’s office. She was working on some files and she lifted her eyes at him all of a sudden with that seemingly innocent look that was anything but innocent in the end.

“Yes, Henry?”

“Have there been news of dragons lately?”

“Dragons? Henry, dragons have been extinct for a while, the only thing that we have is an egg which we keep-“

“I know, I know, that egg which is seemingly frozen that we keep buried under the caves in what was it? Madagascar? Mozambique? M something?”

“Mexico, actually.”

“I knew it.”

“You knew what, exactly?”

“She still has it doesn’t she?”

“She?”

“Don’t try playing me, Doc. I know someone who has dragons and she now has a sudden interest of going to Mexico City. It’s suspicious.”

“Not this again, Henry.”  Helen replied, rolling her eyes. “I told you, she got back to her normal life and there is no reason for us to think otherwise. And OK, she shifted to dragons lately, well actually water snakes and I’m going to point that to her when I see her again, but really. She’s back to normal now.”

“Except the part where she saved a girl from suicide by singing to her in her dreams.”

“Now, now. We have absolutely no proof that this is what happened.”

“We have every proof, Doc. The funny thing is you would never give up on something like this. But since you returned to life, you seem so… chill about everything. Where is Mother Maiden? What happened to her? Because ok, you may not like her job but a world without her is a bad idea.”

“Well then you should be grateful that she is still doing her job.”

“And you let her do it? What happened with the we don’t kill killers thing?”

“I promised I won’t tell you anything, Henry, don’t push.”

“ _Me_? As in me specifically as in Vlad knows?”

“He was there when it happened, but if it makes you feel better, the two of us are the only ones that know.”

“And her?”

“Sharon knows nothing of it, I assure you. I figured it would be better to just leave her be, she has enough on her head now that  _Hydra_  has been released, and I suggest you stop searching for supernatural things connected to her too. She’s not our business anymore.”

“So I suspect that if I tell you there has been this really weird post about her on Tumblr…”

“What post?”

“Not much, actually. Just a post from a Tumblr account. The weird part is that it comes from a blog whose owner had nothing to do with Within Temptation, not until a few days ago. But now it posted something that said  _I could have got used to the wings, Sharon, but this…_  and it tagged her.”

“So what, you’re telling me that you’re going to investigate Tumblr posts now? No offense, Henry, but this is not what I’m paying you for. “

“Well I’m just trying to prove something, that is all.”

“What?”

“That Sharon den Adel is Mother Maiden. I suspect she wasn’t at first, but she is now, and you know it. You would never allow something like this if you didn’t know every single detail about it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Helen laughed at him. “You’ve been playing video games too much.”

“Fine, mock the cute little puppy.” Henry muttered. “I’ll find out the truth, Doc. Just so you know.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” Helen whispered silently as Henry left her office.

* * *

 

“Good, you’re up.” Victor said coldly when William opened his eyes. “We have stuff to do. You’re going online in a few minutes.”

“Online? But what- I had this weird dream where you killed me and-“

“No time for that. I’m your new manager, remember? I signed you up for an online chat with your fangirls and I have to tell you, the chat room is pretty crowded already.”

“I still don’t understand where you’re going with this.”

“You will, William, you will. Now move your ass over here and start typing. And you might want to lose up some buttons on that shirt.”

“What we’re going to do a video too?”

“Of course we will. You have to understand, William, being close to your fangirls is vital to our mission… and more recently, to you.”

“What do you mean?” The young man asked, fear creeping in his voice, but Victor only smiled. “You’ll see soon enough. Now type.”

On second thought, it wasn’t as hard as he had initially believed. He was close to his fangirls, after all, and for a second he was reminded that in his own way, he was a God. And then, everything faded around him until what was left was the hunger. He had taken one fangirl with him and he wanted to do that again. But he couldn’t do it over the Internet. He could pretend to be their friend, answer to their questions, but that was it. Or at least, that was what he thought it was. Until one girl decided to be more bold and told him her name, asking him to add her on Facebook. Of course, she wasn’t the first to do that, and she was certainly not the last one, but for some reason it felt different. He glanced at Victor, who gave him a small nod and he knew that this was what he was supposed to do.  He invented some excuse for his other fangirls, said that he was going to write another song or something along those lines, and in the next second he was chatting with this new girl on Facebook.

The girl’s name was Bridget and at first William didn’t seem to find anything special about her. But her devotion to him, the way she talked about him like he was the most important person of the world… He deserved that. Wanted that and he figured he had spent too much without having it since Sarah.

“You are so beautiful, Bridget.” He wrote her and of course she believed him.

“I still can’t believe I’m talking to you, the real you. You seem so… lost in your world, behind those lyrics I have listened to so many times, but you are so close to me after all. Nobody has understood me as well as you do, not until now.”

“Would you do me a favor, Bridget?” He typed as he loosened up his tie, relishing the hunger that had appeared in his victim’s eyes. Victor had been right, online chatting had its benefits after all. So when Bridget’s reply appeared on the screen, it didn’t surprise him.  _I would do anything for you, William._  Of course she would.

 _Take off your-_  he started typing, but Victor signaled him to stop. He turned the camera off for a moment, glaring at William. “No sense of possibility. Still no sense of possibility.” He mocked William and when he looked at him questioningly, he pressed the backspace key on William’s keyboard, making all the text disappear. He typed a new message and turned the camera back on just after he pressed enter. The words  _Tell me, Bridget, how do you feel about dying?_  had appeared on the screen.

He was never going to forget the look on Bridget’s face. Alarmed at first, but then so… awkwardly serene.  _I have thought about it many times, William._  She had never talked about this to anyone and finally having someone to confess too was so good that she wouldn’t have been able to stop now even if she wanted.  _I have days when I think that nobody likes me, when I think everybody would be better with me gone. And the only thing that kept me alive was that I wanted to meet you, but now that I have… Unless you want me to live._

 _I want you to live, Bridget, at least for now. I want you to be mine in every single way of the word._  William replied and he relished the look on Bridget’s face. That was the moment he knew he had a type. Lonely, innocent girls who didn’t want anything more than to have somebody to understand them, somebody to tell them they were beautiful and that their colleagues, the ones that made fun of them, were all wrong. And if that someone happened to be the one they had spend their nights dreaming about… why not. He was too alright with all this, but he didn’t understand why. Something had changed inside him during the last days. Of course, deep down he had always been a killer and Sarah had proved that, but he could feel a new type of hunger taking over him now. Bridget was now talking something about wanting to hurt herself, about a failed suicide attempt when she had found out that she couldn’t go to a concert of his that had taken place near her, but he wasn’t listening anymore. He had seen the scars on her arms and he could think of nothing else than her blood dripping from them and into his mouth. He remembered tasting Sarah like that and this new kind of hunger took hold of him once more.

“Go on, ask her.” Victor whispered, sending shivers down William’s spine. “You know you want it.” It was those words that convinced him in the end. He sent his new message to Bridget and, as he saw her listening to his request, he felt his new discovered hunger take over him. Only a flickering fire at first, but it soon turned into a raging inferno that took over his body, from his head down to his toes, a constant burning that made his blood boil. But in the end it left him… purified. It seemed awfully fitting in a way. The newest God had just received his baptism.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?” William asked as he turned the camera off. “You really killed me.”

“Upgraded you, William, upgraded you. You can start being grateful anytime, but now please tell your girl to bandage those up, we don’t want her to die. Not from the first night.”

 


	6. Blue Eyes

                It was a strange thing to think about, but in a way, she liked being dead. That is, if dead was what she was. As far as she knew, she was hunting her own blog, and the only one who understood her posts was a weird singer that seemed to lead some kind of a double life. Great. Not the way she would have imagined her life a few years ago, but better in a way than spending her life online spying on William- no, actually she still did that, but this time she had a better reason than just fangirling. This time she knew that she hadn’t been his only girl and she was determined to do anything to make sure she was going to be his last. He couldn’t have Bridget, not if she had something to say about it.         

                Meanwhile, Sharon was trying to get a song out of her head. It started playing a few days ago in her mind, only a few lyrics at first, but then it got shape and she started to feel that this song was going to mean something, maybe more than any other song until then. And alright, maybe writing a song while keeping a Tumblr page open- namely, the Tumblr blog of your ghost friend- wasn’t exactly the best idea, but she was trying to get the hang of it. She was in the middle of writing when she decided to check if Sarah had sent her another message.

                “You know, Sharon, somehow _feel_ sounds better than _see._ ” The message wrote and she couldn’t help a smile. _Great, now I’m getting song advice from a ghost._

                “You do have a point, but you don’t get to tell me what to write, OK?” she answered back. “Stupid question, I know, but how are you feeling?”

                It took Sarah a while to answer. “In a while, I feel more alive than I have ever been. I can spread anywhere I want, I can get into any computer that gets on my blog, I can visit any webpage I want… Just that I can’t touch things anymore, and I miss that.

                “Did you try… moving on?” Sharon typed.

                “What, like into the light? Not an option. We need to save Bridget first.”

                “What, William is targeting another girl now?”

                “Yeah. He’s been messaging her over Facebook, trying to get her to hurt herself.”

                “Why? I thought he was the type that would get you into an alley and rape you and then kill you, this doesn’t seem his MO.”

                “One, it wasn’t rape. I wanted it, Sharon. I wanted it with every ounce of my being. I would have had him right there if he didn’t kill me. And two, I have a feeling that he’s a bit dead at the moment. Less dead than me, obviously, since he can touch people, but still a bit dead.”

                “How do you know?”

                “Because for a moment, I felt him close to me. I can’t exactly explain, but it was as if we were both in this room and I could touch him and for a moment, he saw me. Scared the hell out of him, to be honest, but then it looked like someone pulled him back.”

                “Victor.”

                “That’s my guess too. Speaking of which, what is the deal with you two guys? I did a bit of research on you and I found the clips from that album of yours, _The Unforgiving_. Are they real?”

                “Yes. That was the first Mother Maiden. I… I sort of took the job after she moved on.”

                “So you can bring people back to life?”

                “Still working on that. Don’t ask me to do it for you, Sarah, I don’t know how, and I already failed once. I don’t think I can handle failing one more time.”

                “It’s OK. I doubt the first Mother Maiden would have been able to do anything with me the way I am now. From what it looks like, she needed a body and I doubt she was able to work on ashes.”

                “You got…”

                “Cremated, yes. My mother asked for it and I can’t really blame her for that. I guess it hurt her too much to know that I have been killed. And if you don’t have a body, it’s easier to ignore the truth.  You have no cemetery to go to, you have nothing to mourn. Just an urn on a shelf in my room and that is about it. As long as she doesn’t see it, she can pretend it didn’t happen and that I just left in a trip or something and that I will soon be back. Of course, she didn’t think about what it felt like to me, she didn’t take into account that I felt every flame eating at my body.  That you can feel your flesh disintegrating, peeling away from your bones piece by piece until nothing is left of you. They say you don’t feel anything when you’re dead, Sharon, but they lie. You feel all the things you would feel when you are alive, and then something more. You also feel the suffering of those who have lost you and you are forced to listen their laments, to hear how they wish they had only one more day with you, just to make sure you die happy, just to make sure you die without thinking you’re a freak even if most of them had spent their lives calling you that. The truth is, I died happy. I always used to think that if I were to meet William I could die afterwards and it wasn’t just a figure of speech. He made me feel wanted, Sharon. I don’t know if you can understand this, I don’t know if anyone can, but he was my way out of this world every time I felt sad. And he was my final way out of this world in a way. It’s almost poetic, if you come to think about it. But I don’t want this to happen to Bridget too. She is more broken than I ever was and I am not sure she can make it on her own. We have to help her.”

                “I can’t promise you anything, Sarah. Only that I will try.”

                “Try is good. Try is what you did to me and alright, haunting a blog isn’t my idea of life, but it beats working for Victor I guess.”

                “Just know that she will be difficult. William is her idol and telling her that he is a serial killer… well, not such a great conversation starter I guess.”

                Sharon couldn’t help smiling when she saw the last message.  “Don’t worry, Sarah, I have a plan.” She typed back, praying that this was going to work.  She got on Bridget’s Facebook page and focused on her picture, trying to reach her.  At first, she felt nothing. But then, heat started coursing through her veins. And somewhere in a dark cave, deep underground, a new kind of fire came to life once more.


	7. In Perfect Harmony

                All he ever wanted to do was to be a good father, and a big part of the reason why was that he had had no father of his own. He had never met his parents, and the only time he felt something akin to a mother’s touch was when he closed his eyes and let the wind caress his face.

                He had watched ages as they went by, one by one, until he lost count of how many had passed. The rest of the world didn’t interest him that much. After all, he had everything he could want exactly where he was, and the world that was blossoming outside his, the world of industry and technology, the world that was so far from nature, was not important to him. Until one day.

                He was never going to forget that day. He had barely escaped the woodcutters before they were able to see him, but his beloved forest had no chance of surviving them. He had lost everything that day, and he had gained everything that day. Because that was the day he found Sophie. He knew that was going to be her name from the moment he had first held her in his arms. She was going to be his baby girl and he was going to do all he could to be a good father for her. But soon, all his dreams faded away. Sophie was asleep and he had no idea how to wake her up.  He had his own personal Sleeping Beauty, but a true love’s kiss was not going to help in his case.  After all, what could he possibly do? Call the humans to help him? They may have looked like him, but he sincerely doubted that they were going to see Sophie as he did.

                He had lost count of the years that had passed since he found Sophie when someone finally found his hiding place. A blonde girl with eyes that were the color of the sea and so full of hope that for a second he had been fooled. He had been tricked into thinking that some people were good.  His hope grew when she told him of a place where Sophie could have been safe, where they both could have been safe, with nobody to judge them, and, for a second, he thought that maybe Sophie needed a mother too. He didn’t feel exactly love for the blonde girl, no, at least not the human definition of love, but she wanted to help with Sophie and that was more than enough to make him care for her.

                But then one night, everything changed. The young girl came to see him in the middle of the night and she was scared. She told him some nonsense about how she had finally realized who Sophie was and how she couldn’t be left to live because it was much too dangerous for everyone involved, starting with the two of them. He stopped listening the moment she suggested they were going to have to kill Sophie, shattering all his dreams to pieces. The only girl who he had thought capable of understanding had betrayed him. Of course, she liked helping strange beings like him and Sophie, but she drew the line at some things. And sadly, Sophie was one of them. He had managed to convince her that she was no danger, but she still refused seeing any of them again, babbling something about how the temptation was too big. She had sworn not to take advantage of anything she cares for, she said, and she was going to make sure she keeps her promise.

                Even after she betrayed him, he couldn’t exactly run from her.  Where could he possibly go, after all? Not to mention that if anyone else figured the truth about Sophie they were probably going to kill her, and Helen was probably the most understanding person on the matter he was ever going to meet. So he listened to her advice and he took Sophie far away from there, allowing darkness to cover their traces. Helen never visited them, not even once, but with the passing of the ages he forgot about her. After all, he had bigger issues on his head and whether he liked it or not, Sophie was one of them.

                However, at the same time, Sophie was the only living being in the world that he thought he could love. For him, Sophie was fire, and Sophie was warmth, and Sophie was the family he never had, and Sophie was now cold and hard as a stone.  He sighed when reality hit him hard again. He was never going to be happy, not at this rate, and the sooner he got used to this idea, the better.

                That is why when one night, a strange man came to him, promising that he was going to do everything in his power to help with Sophie, the boy didn’t believe him at first. But he had found him, and that was not an easy task given the fact that the only ones who knew of his hiding place were Helen and the ones she had hired to occasionally bring him food and supplies. But there was something about this man that led him to eventually trust him. He was tall, slender and he was well dressed, well, at least by human standards because he never got the suit thing. He had tried it with Helen, back in the day but it made him feel caged in some sort of way.

                “She is beautiful.” the man said, kneeling in front of Sophie, and for the first time in his life, he saw his own passion for Sophie reflected in somebody else’s eyes.

                “You know who she-“

                “Ah, yes, I know.” The man smiled. “And I know who- and especially what- you are too, Alistair.”

                “How do you know my name?”

                “Because I’m like you and Sophie in a way. Don’t you see?  You were destined to find Sophie, to protect her, and I was destined to find you.”

                “What do you want from us?” Alistair asked, caution in his voice. “If you try to hurt her, I will-“

                “No need for threats, dear boy. I only want to help. I know how to wake her up from her slumber.”

                “And if you do this, if you wake her up, what do you want in return?”

                “You were too close to humans for your own good, boy. I want nothing in return. I am no human myself, why would I be as selfish as they are? I just want everyone involved to fulfill their destiny, and this means Sophie has to wake up.”

                “But why now? I’ve had her for over a century now and she always was asleep, why does she have to wake up now?”

                “I didn’t need her until recently, it is all.” The man shrugged. “Listen, kid, I am giving you the chance to have what you always wanted, to be a father for your baby Sophie. She loves you, I can feel that, but this is nothing compared to what we will have if she wakes up. I promise you I won’t hurt her, but she has a destiny and at the moment you are keeping her from fulfilling it. Is this what a good father would do to his only child?”

                “But Helen said…”

                “What, Helen Magnus?” The man puffed in disgust. “I know that girl too. She has no sense of possibility. She likes monsters, yes, but she claims some are too bad for her taste. Yet she hated vampires and now she is sleeping with one. She is a lot more judgmental than you could think to tell you the truth. But tell me, what do you see when you look at Sophie? Do you see a monster?”

                “No, never. She is just a baby, she wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

                “My point exactly. Then what do you say we forget about Helen for a while and do what we were both supposed to do?”

                “Do you promise she won’t get hurt?”

                “I swear it on my soul.”

                “Alright then. Do your magic.” Alistair sighed. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

                The older man had no chance to respond to that because Sophie started glowing, making Alistair step back. He had never seen her like this, but it only made her more beautiful.

                “Are you doing this? “ he asked the older man, but he shook his head. “I am afraid not, and this is not that good. We’re in a bit of trouble.”

                “Why is she glowing then?”

                “You're not her only parent. Long story short, child support does tend to be a bitch these days.But you are the only parent Sophie needs at the moment, do you understand?”

                It took Alistair a bit of time, but he finally nodded. “Tell me what I have to do.” He whispered.

               

 

               

 


	8. Overcome

                She had always loved fairy tales. Not necessarily the boring kind, no, because she didn’t exactly buy the whole thing with every girl needs a prince charming to save her, despite the fact that she could have certainly used one given her current situation. But no, she was too old for that kind of dreams now. She had spent her life asking herself what is wrong with her, trying to cope with everything inside her, but it hadn’t been exactly a piece of cake. She did like the idea of heroes though, and in her darkest times she used to imagine that she was one of them and that her disease was actually some kind of superpower nobody really understood. It was kind of stupid, come to think at it, but living in a psychiatric hospital for as long as you can remember doesn’t give you so many options afterall. You spend your days between being drugged by idiots who actually think that pills help you and being awake and hoping that someone will come after you and take you away from there. But they never do, and the only option you have is to crawl back into your bed and hope that the voices will go away and they would stop calling you from wherever they keep calling.

                Problem is, the voices never stopped. She never knew what they were or where they were coming from, but she could tell they weren’t from _here_. Whatever here meant.  And of course, the doctors never believed her. It was much easier to say it was just her paranoia speaking and that everything was in her mind than to actually take a minute of their time to investigate whether she was telling the truth or not. Because deep down, she knew that the voices were real. And it wasn’t just her need of having someone to understand her that led her to believe that.

                The truth is, after a while, you stop believing in heroes, because what is the point of believing in them if nobody actually comes to save you? I mean sure, they all look great in their stories, all dressed up in armor and strong and brave, but nobody tells you that those are probably just lies written by someone who had too much imagination. She could have used a hero, true, but somehow she knew that trusting the wrong person could be worse than what she had to fight now. She could deal with a few voices in the end; heartbreaks weren’t an option, though. So she closed in herself, built a shield of ice around her heart and hoped she would never feel the need of being saved again.

                It would have worked if her only problem were the voices. But when she finally managed to get some sleep, the voices were replaced by dreams. Well, actually, one dream. It kept repeating in her mind and she couldn’t determine what it meant. It was very strong though, as if it was a memory of some kind, but that couldn’t have been possible. The world where it took place was too… old and too dark for it to make any sense. And what was worse was that, in that dream, heroes existed. But they were the exact opposite of what she had hoped of them.  Her dream took place in a world where the so called heroes killed innocent girls that had done nothing to them and were praised for doing so. She hoped that this world only existed in her dreams, because if she ever got out of the asylum and discovered that this world was real… she doubted she could take that.

                But that day was going to determine her to believe in heroes again. That day, someone finally came after her, and in a way he looked just like the hero she had hoped for. He was gorgeous, in lack of a better word, and he swore to her that he knows of someone who can make the voices shut up forever. Of course, it was bound to cost a little, but the important part was that she was finally going to get help. She had finally found someone to understand her and that is why, for a second, she let herself ignore the fact that someone deep inside her told her that she had just sold her soul to the devil. Just another voice, trying to keep her away from the only person who was able to help her. It was the only reasonable explanation and after a life of torment and madness, reason sounded like the best option to her.

                She would have thought that getting out of the hospital was going to be the hard part, but apparently she had been wrong. All it took was for the young man that had come after her to present some ID that proved he was her uncle (she had never had an uncle as far as she could remember, of course, but she was going to argue about family as soon as she got out of there). To be completely honest with herself, the head nurse probably had stopped listening as soon as the guy told her his name. Apparently he was some famous singer or something like that. But then again, it wasn’t like she gave a damn. Anywhere was better than in that shithole of a hospital if you asked her, or so she hoped.

                She had soon discovered that the outside world was everything that she had hoped for. Everything was different there. There was so much noise, and the air smelt differently, but all it took her were three seconds outside to decide that she was never going to go back. So that was what freedom tasted like.

                “Where are we going, uncle?” She asked with a huge grin on her face.

                “I’m not your uncle.” The stranger smiled at her right before pulling her into a kiss. The moment their lips touched, everything inside her came to life. There was so much passion inside her screaming to get out, so much… hunger in the end. It was her first kiss so she didn’t exactly have someone to compare him to, but the guy clearly knew what he was doing.  His lips were soft and daring and his tongue licked its way down her mouth as if it was desperately trying to show her what it tasted like. She had expected it to taste like chocolate, for some reason, but instead it tasted of blood and something… unfinished, as if someone had tried to do something and stopped right in the middle. And what worried her most was that it tasted of the place the voices came from.  So she broke the kiss and looked into the stranger’s eyes, trying to find some of the darkness that the voices normally carried with them. But all she saw was a fire that resonated with a spark inside her she hadn’t known she had until that very moment.

                “I leave you alone for ten minutes and _this_ is what you do?” A man sighed, interrupting them. “We have more important stuff to do.”

                “I was just having a bit of fun, gramps, no need to get feisty over it.” The young man sighed. “She tastes good, though.”

                “Hey!” The girl protested. “I am right here, you know.”

                “Oh I can see that.” The older man smiled at her as he came closer and caressed her face.  Her first impulse was to get away from his touch, but instead she found herself somehow mesmerized by him. He was around his 40s, tall and slender, with hair that had began to turn grey, but not enough to make him look old, not just yet. He was all dressed in blue, with an old fashioned clock hanging out of his vest.  “My God, you look just like your mother.” he smiled at her.

                “You knew my mother?”

                “Oh, yes, ever since she was a baby and thought her only reason to live was to kill your father. It is quite a fascinating story to be honest, and I will tell you everything. But first, let’s make those voices stop, shall we?”


	9. Empty Eyes

                “One word, William.” Victor said coldly as the three of them got back home.

                “What she’s off limits?”

                “Yes.”

                “Why? I kissed her, she liked it, no big deal. Victor, you are the one who turned me into this… kind of thing I am now, whatever it is, you gave me this lust and now you tell me she’s off limits? I mean I get the singer that gets on your nerves is off limits because you probably want her for yourself, but you can’t just stop me from kissing anyone that doesn’t fit your plans.”

                “Do you love her, William? Or do you just want to get in her pants?”

                “I’m me and come on I’ve only known her for what a few hours? You can’t expect me to love her, I don’t even know if I am capable of love anymore since you killed me.”

                This seemed to get Victor’s attention, at least for a while. “I never asked how you feel about being dead, true.” he considered. “I’ll talk to you one day about this, but now we have bigger problems on our head. And I’m sorry but you may not kiss the girl again. Nothing personal just that she’s a bit sensitive and if you push her too hard she might begin… resisting. And I doubt she’s fun when she resists, it is all.”

                “What the hell is this about?” The young girl said as she entered the room.

                “I believe you remember me.” Victor said with a smile.

                “I don’t, actually.”

                “I was afraid you’re going to try to pull this stunt on me, Sophie. I was there when you were born, I was the first one you saw when you came to this world and now you say you don’t remember me?”

                “I’m sorry, Sir, but I really don’t remember you.” She said on a scared tone. “You must have mistaken me for someone else. I don’t recall anything but being in that hospital for my whole life, and I am really grateful for getting me out, but if this is some confusion I could go back and we can pretend that nothing happened, alright?”

                “I believe I wasn’t clear enough, Sophie. You will stop this game now, or she dies.” It seemed the words had made their desired effect on the girl, because she bowed her head with a sigh, closing her eyes. When she opened them back, there was nothing but hate in them.

                “You put me in that damned hospital!” she yelled at him. “Have you any idea what that was like?”

                “It was for your own protection, darling. I believe you figured out what you are by now.”

                “Like this makes it any better. And yeah, I figured it out, you were so kind to leave me that stupid book of yours and to make me spend my nights trying to figure out why it sounded so _wrong_ to me, why it sounded like a pile of crap from the beginning to the end, why I kept dreaming about those things, but they were so different from what that book said, so…confusing, and all of this while trying  to keep _her_ safe from all of this, because God knows what she’d say about me if she knew the truth.”

                “How touching. I’m sorry darling, but I brought you to life in a way, I have the right to put my mark on your growth I think.”

                “And what you want me to call you daddy now? Maybe give you a hug?” Sophie asked sarcastically.

                “Oh come on. That elf was no good to you and you can’t hate me for taking you from him. He was awfully boring.”

                “What the hell do you want?”

                “Well since you figured out what you are, you do realize this is a bit of a stupid question.”

                “I can’t do it. I’m sorry you came all the way here for nothing- actually, I’m not, but anyway, I can’t do it. I tried it before and I failed.”

                “I know you tried it before. I put you in that hospital as your legal guardian so I was the first they called when you pulled that little stunt of yours.”

                “Then you know it went wrong.”

                “No, no, no. It went the exact way it goes all the time. I don’t have a problem with that. Your father did and that is why he killed your mother in the end, but I’m not complaining about the consequences. I want them, actually.”

                “Why don’t you do it yourself?” Sophie asked coldly. “I saw you can do it and alright I admit you’re a bit sloppy, but you do get the job done.”

                “Minus the part where you saw right through the whole thing. I can’t afford that happening again. Besides, there are other… complications. You’re neutral you can reach some places I can’t that is all.”

                “You’re kidding me. I am not 100 percent sure that I get how this works, but shouldn’t it be a failsafe that you know stops people like you doing this? And actually all people, not just people like you. I may be neutral, but going there is not the same thing as getting back.”

                “Well you see that is the difference between the two of us. I know exactly how this works, and I am very persuasive if that is needed, but I just need someone who can deliver the message where it needs to go because I can’t do it myself. I know you will need a price for this and I am willing to go the whole way. Besides it’s not exactly stealing, it’s borrowing.”

                “And if I fail?”

                “Then I am sorry, but I will have to kill her.”

                “Good luck with that. You’ll have to get through me to do that.”

                “Now, now. I know you care about her and risking her life over something so… confusing can be a very big mistake. And I’m guessing you’re not willing to do that, are you?”

                “Did he kiss me?” she asked, pointing at William. “I heard you talking about it, but I don’t remember that.”

                “Oh please you are just scared of how much you liked it.” William grinned at her. “We don’t have to listen to the old man, if you want to do it again, be my guest.”

                “If the lady says she didn’t kiss you, William, then the lady is right.” Victor said coldly. “But don’t try changing the subject, Sophie. Will you help me?”

                “Promise me you won’t touch her, in any way. And that goes for him too. Tell me she will be safe.”

                “It depends on how satisfied I am with your work, but it can be arranged.”

                “And I am warning you, the outcome of this can be very wrong.”

                “Oh my dear Sophie. Who is to say that isn’t exactly what I wanted?”

                “I feared you’d say that.” She sighed. “Just make sure she never finds out what I had to do to protect her. And don’t call me Sophie again. I never liked that name.”

                “Well your mother gave you this name. But then again, she wasn’t very smart. Trusting your father like that…”

                “I still need to know the whole story, the real one, I mean, not the romanced bullshit I was forced to live with.”

                “And I will tell you everything, I promise. What do you want me to call you?”

                “Anna will be fine for now. And if you _ever_ say something bad about my mother, Victor or whatever your name is, I swear to God I will kill myself.”

                “Alright, alright, no need to get edgy with me.  We will be just fine, I promise.”

 


	11. Aquarius

                If she thought living your life loving someone who doesn’t return your feelings was bad, she had no idea what it was like living your life once said person actually begins noticing you. Her mind tried to tell her that it was wrong, that he was a star and he probably said those things to all the girls he met just to make them love him, but he was so different of all the guys she had met before. He saw right through her and he didn’t run when she had told him about hurting herself, he even seemed to… accept the whole thing, like her scars somehow made her unique to him. Of course, there was the pain, but she had learned to live with the pain a very long time ago. Now it was the first time it made sense to her though, when she was able to channel her pain to help someone, to help the love of her life, and there was nothing nobler than that, or so she thought.

                She went over the chat she had with him again and again, trying to memorize each phrase of it, each nice word he had said to her. He was her reality now, her place where she could run of all the things that didn’t make sense to her, of all the things that hurt her. And when she listened to his songs, everything made sense to her. She only needed to hear his voice for a few seconds to know that everything is going to be alright, to know that somewhere out there is someone who loves her.

                “Bridget, what are you doing?” her father asked quietly as he entered the room. She hadn’t heard him, so she barely had the time to close her laptop. She was now staring at a black screen and it only made her father more suspicious.

                “Nothing, daddy. Just some school work.” She lied, praying that she was going to be convincing enough.

                “Listen, sweetheart, I talked to your mother and we are a bit worried about you. I mean I know you are a teenager and you think you know everything about life and love, but this William guy… you spend too much time thinking about him. Your grades have begun to suffer since you became his fan and I don’t think this is right.”

                “It’s not his fault.” She denied as fast as she could. If her parents thought it was, they could have stopped her from ever contacting him again and that was something she couldn’t afford. ”I’m sorry for those, daddy, but I was a bit sick lately and that is why I didn’t do so well in school. I am going to fix it all though, I promise.”

                “Sick? Are you alright?”

                “I’m fine. Just that I was a bit down lately. But listening to William makes me feel better somehow.”

                “He’s a star, honey. You know he doesn’t love you back.”

                “Of course he doesn’t.” She sighed dreamily. “He doesn’t even know who I am, I am perfectly aware of that.  But I am a big girl, daddy, I will not leave an obsession take over my life. But then again, listening to a bit of music can’t hurt, right?”

                “I guess it can’t.” The older man shrugged. “Just be sure to come to me or my mother if you are in any trouble, alright sweetheart? We are there for you.”

                “I know you are daddy.” she smiled as she hugged him awkwardly. Apparently it had been enough for her to convince him because he smiled back to her and then left her room, finally leaving her alone.  If a life of self harm and obsession had taught her something, it was that adults were pretty predictable. They had their phrases they wanted to hear and if you told them, they would leave you alone for a while. At least enough for you to do it again without them noticing. She had neglected her usual routine lately, since she had found William, but now that he was clearly not having a problem with the whole thing… We all have our kinks in the end, it just so happened that her kink matched with his.

                “You would be so proud of me, William.” she wrote to him. “I managed to fool my parents once again. They don’t need to know about us, they would never understand our love. I know you are busy with your songs probably, but please write to me as soon as you get back. I miss hearing from you.” She closed her laptop when she finished her message and lay down in her bed, her eyes on the poster on the ceiling. That was probably the best picture of William she had got her hands on and it was now so familiar to her that she felt herself getting warm just by looking at it. She took the box from under her bed and spent a few minutes trying to figure out what to pick. When she finally decided, she closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the now familiar feeling while William was watching her from the poster.

                She must have dosed off to sleep because she heard a voice talking to her, and sadly, it wasn’t William. It was a woman she had never met before, all dressed in black and with a sad look on her face. Her brown eyes scanned Bridget and in a moment she questioned everything she had ever done in her life.

                “I know what you’re doing, Bridget, and it has to stop.” The woman whispered to her. “This doesn’t get you closer to him, it only gets you close to death and trust me, he’s not worth it.”

                “I love him.”

                “No, no. You think you love him, but the truth is you are only obsessed with him. And he’s only using you. You’re not the first girl she lies to and probably you won’t be the last either. He was a good man once, but he changed and now he can’t be trusted anymore. You don’t need the pain to be better, you are perfect just as you are now.”

                “That is what he told me too. The difference is that he accepts me for who I am, with all my curves and all my edges, which you clearly don’t. I don’t know who you are, but I know your kind. You try to fill my head with lies, telling me who I should love and who I shouldn’t… Who are you to decide for me?”

                “And who is William to do so?”

                “He’s my true love. He loves me even if he’s a star and I am just a broken girl and you can never possibly give this to me. I can’t trust you.”

                “I’m not asking you to trust me, Bridget.” The older woman sighed. “Sarah Jones. Look her up online. She died after going to one of William’s concert and I promise you, this was not an accident.”

                Bridget woke up in her bed, her blade besides her. No, that couldn’t have been real. Just a dream she was going to ignore. William could never hurt anyone, not willingly at least. It was probably her subconscious that had somehow became infested with stuff like this because of what her parents told her. On the other hand, she had always liked detective stories, and what harm could a little Google search do?


	12. Candles

                For the first time in what seemed like forever, Emily had hope. Her father had just got home, telling her that he had found someone that could help them with her… little problem. It was someone he trusted, because he had only heard good things about her- well, actually, he had heard few things about the woman, but all were good, so Emily thought this was enough.

                It wasn't exactly that she really thought she had a problem- her talents had proven useful more than once, but her father was scared of her and she didn't need to see the way he looked at her every time he thought she doesn't see him to know that. It isn't very nice to have your own parent looking at you like you’re some kind of monster, but her father was the only one she had left after her mother had died, so she couldn't exactly hate him. And if he wanted her cured of whatever she had, he was probably right.

                But somehow, it still didn't make any sense to her. She had always hated cold and having that part of her ripped out from her body probably meant that there was nothing but cold in the near future for her. It still was worth it, though, if that would have caused her father to stop looking at him as she was some sort of freak.

                On second thought, playing a bit while she still could didn't sound like such a bad idea, after all. So she closed her eyes and let warmth encircle her with its soft hands as she drifted to that state of almost sleep she craved so much. That was her home, that was the place where she felt safe and that was exactly what she was going to lose if she let her father take her to that woman. The thought hit her hard and in a second, she lost it. She tried gaining her control back, but it was too late. The heat left her body and began spreading around her, taking away everything it could in its path. She could see smoke coming out of one of her curtains and it only took her a few to realize that she wasn't able to breathe properly anymore.  She could deal with the heat, because that was a part of her, but smoke had always been something that made her lungs protest and always made her panic.

                “Emily, stop this!” Her father yelled at her, storming in her room. “You can stop, you did it before. I told you, I know someone who will help you control this, you just need to calm down now and...“

                “I can’t be cured, daddy.” she sighed. “There is nothing to cure about me. This is who I am, and no doctor in the world can change that.” Flames were now encircling her, protecting her, and she looked so peaceful inside all the evil that surrounded her that it made her father desperate. He had tried for his entire life to tell himself that his daughter wasn't evil, that she was just sick and that her condition could be changed, but seeing her so much at peace with all that evil… This had to be stopped, forever. So he stepped in the circle of flames, one hand extended at his daughter, as if he was trying to help her, and for a second, she bought it. That second was enough for her to lower the shield of flames that was protecting her, but when she saw the knife her father was holding in his other hand, all the heat in her exploded one more time.

* * *

 

               Anna hated herself for what she was doing. She kept telling herself it was going to be alright, that she had to do this in order to protect the one person on this world that meant something to her, but it didn't do her any good. This was exactly the kind of thing that had killed her mother, and even if Victor had promised he was going to be more understanding than her father had been, that he knew the consequences and he knew that it wasn't a perfect process, she still somehow didn't believe him. Truth was, the last days had been exhausting, with her getting out of the hospital and the whole Victor madness and now this… No. This wasn't a trip she was willing to make, at least not in the state she was now, but it wasn't like she could help it anyway.

                 “You know, Anna, or whatever your name is, I am still insulted, for the record.” William said coldly.

                “By what?”

                “That whole thing with _I don’t remember you kissing me_. I am good, I know that, and you liked it, I know that too, so why the hell are you denying the whole thing?”

                “I’m not-“ She began saying but she changed her mind mid-sentence. “What you can’t have possibly believed that. That wasn't the real me, that was just a stunt I pulled in front of Victor or what his name is. He already has enough on me, I don’t want him knowing that… you know.” She whispered as she got closer to him.

                “He creeps you out, huh?” William whispered back with a nervous laugh. “I had the same feeling about him, but you’ll get used to it. What does he have on you, by the way? He mentioned a girl. Is she your friend or something?”

                “She’s something.” The girl answered briefly. “I don’t expect you to understand, but all I know is I have to keep her safe and Victor says that if he gets help with this little stunt, we will both be safe. I don’t know if this whole thing we’re doing is not endangering her somehow, to be honest, but I think not doing what Victor wants isn't a good idea, either. This is what really creeps me out about him, you know? He looks like he could hurt anyone he wants.”

                “Well the worst he can do is kill you, and well. It’s not _that_ bad, you know? I've been there.”

                “I know. You taste dead. That’s what kinda turned me off about our kiss. Nothing personal.”

                “We’re here.” Victor said as they got in front of what seemed to be the ruins of a house. It had burned down almost completely, but Anna could hear a little girl crying among the ruins.

                “We have to help them!” The girl said, letting go of William’s hand as fast as she could. She ran to the little girl and took her hand in her own, trying to reassure her everything will be fine.

                “That’s not why we’re here, silly girl.” Victor said coldly. To his words, Anna sighed and closed her eyes, as she was trying to calm down for a second. She couldn't yell at him, not when he was threatening- ah, the hell with that.

                “Are you _completely_ insane? She’s a girl, Victor. A girl! Do you have _remotely_ any idea how confusing this will be to her? Do you? She’s a teenager, I can’t do this to a teenager, they have fragile enough minds without me messing up with them and- no. Completely out of the question. Find me another one.”

                “I’m sorry, but that is not an option. I need these two, because they will make things faster. They’re almost already in, I just need to fix some details and they will be set to go.”

                “How about _my_ details, Victor? I don’t know what you want them to do, but I’m guessing it’s vital for them to hold any cover you’ll give them. How do you expect me to convince a teenager of this, exactly?”

                “I have faith in you, Anna. Besides, the kid is your only concern. I can take the father.”

                “Yes well thank you, you already have the father, it’s the kid that has to be stolen.”

                “ _Borrowed._ ”

                “Semantics. But now that you mentioned it, what are you going to say to the father exactly?”

                “Humans are the only animals stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, Anna. I know you can’t exactly understand that, but I've known humans for longer than you have.  I studied them while you were sleeping, so to say, and I learned what they want. Some of them are awfully predictable. Some of them only need to hear a few words and they fall down to your knees.” Victor smirked.

                “You’re nothing but a snake, Victor, and I hope to God someone will crush you one day.”

                “I’m going to take that as a compliment, coming from you.” He answered with a sarcastic bow. “But now, to business. Clock’s ticking and we still need to catch a plane.”

                “You do realize it could kill me, right?”

                “You do realize I don’t give a fuck, right? Besides, it won’t kill you. You can’t die, not when you have your little friend to protect.”

                “Don’t push me, Victor. Bad things happen when you do and you have no idea what you’ll end up with next.”

                “Why are you still talking, again?” Victor asked and to this Anna sighed and closed her eyes. It only took her a second to collapse to the ground next to the young girl. With what was left of her powers, she took the girl’s hand in her own and then froze right there.

                “Is she-“ William asked, but Victor shook his head in denial. “Not if we’re lucky, dear boy. But only time will tell that.”

                


	13. Another Day

                Well, this was certainly different than she expected. She had been there a few years ago- granted, just to take a puppy, but still, and that time the whole place was deserted and all she saw was her little puppy sitting down and wiggling his tail, wanting to be taken back. That is what puppies do, right? They follow their masters until they die. Some puppies follow some masters even after that.

                What she didn’t expect was that this time the one she needed didn’t come to her. Oh, no. This kid was stubborn. So when she allowed herself to fall even more asleep, to search for the kid in the deepest corners, it wasn’t the one she needed that came to her. It was a young brunette woman in a blue dress that she would have recognized anywhere, even if she hadn’t seen her before. Somehow, that woman was her mother.  But that didn’t make any sense. Her mother had broken the rules, so she should have been Victor’s, but she wasn’t, and now…

                “I am what is left of your mother, Sophie.” The woman answered her thoughts before Anna had the chance to express them.

                “Victor told me you didn’t die, not exactly. He told me that there is no Heaven or Hell for the ones like us and that you-“

                “Are with the stars?” The woman laughed. “That was the exact expression he used?”

                “Yes.”

                “He was never a smart one. Evil, yes, but smart… not so much. He did get some things right, but not all.”

                “And still, you’re here.”

                “And still, I’m not. I’m not your mother, Anna.”

                “But you look exactly like her. And I remember you.”

                “You were born years after I died, Anna. You don’t remember a thing about me.”

                “And yet, I do. I remember how you looked at me when I was born like I was your most precious thing on earth, I remember how you looked at father when he came home from another fight and he laughed and he said that you were still the most gorgeous monster he had ever killed.”

                “He used to say that, yes. And your mother loved it. She loved him. That is why she was so hurt when he turned against her.”

                “You’re really not her, are you?”

                “No. And you’re really not her daughter. You love her as a mother, but she wasn’t the one who created you. And Victor wasn’t either, no matter what he says. Don’t trust him, Anna.”

                “He promised me that my love will be safe.”

                “Your mother said that exact thing to me before she did the most stupid thing in her life.”

                “You mean she had the same…love problem as I do, so to speak?”

                “Oh, no. But she still loved me like a sister and she would have done anything to keep me safe. Including dying and including going with the stars, because that part of the story is true. Death was not really an option for your mother. The thing is some stars don’t stay in their place. Some fall down to earth when they are most needed, and some… well. Let’s just say they end up buried in a forest somewhere.”

                “Are you telling me my mother is alive?”

                “I cannot be sure about that. What I can be sure about is that I heard something a few- I don’t know. Math is complicated when you are dead. Could have been days, could have been years. But I swear I heard something that sounded a lot like your mother. So maybe she is out there, somewhere. And maybe she is looking for you.”

                “And maybe she has no idea I survived.”

                “That too. But she loved you, more than anything. Never forget that. Now go do stupid things.”

                “I thought that you were part of the welcoming committee to stop me.”

                “Why would I do that? You know the rules, nobody is allowed to interfere and if the kid says yes it will be alright.”

                With these words the woman disappeared, leaving Anna with a sad smile. Of course, there was also the possibility of the kid saying no, but she didn’t allow herself to think about that. She was just going to go with what Victor taught her to say and it was going to be alright.

                What she didn’t expect was how exhausting going inside was going to be. She stood there, with the child in front of her, trying to make them become one, to find something she could use for convincing, and there it was. In the end, it had been in her blood all along. That is what made her know that violent deaths are useful, that love is even more useful and that in the end the only thing that a kid wants is love.

                “I know you suffered.” she whispered. “I know that a lot was expected from you and I know how much you would have done if you hadn’t died. You were a special kid when you were little and this can continue, if only you let me help you. Nobody will ever think you are a freak, not anymore.” she whispered lie after lie, begging that she will be trusted, because if not… Victor still had her and if she didn’t come back from here… No. She couldn’t afford thinking about that. So she searched for an answer to her plea and she got one. Victor may have been evil, but her mother was wrong. He wasn’t stupid, or at least he knew what makes most people tick, regardless of how dead those people were. So when she heard that one question, she was able to give the only true answer that she could give. _Yes, you will be together again with your family. Yes, he still thinks he killed you. Yes, you will see him._ And that proved to be enough because a part of her screamed the other answers and it was a miracle they hadn’t been heard. _No, he won’t remember who you are. No, you will not help him because the only purpose you have on this world is to make him suffer. No, he will never forgive you if because of you Victor gets to-_

                “Rise and shine, Anna.” Victor smiled at her as she opened her eyes. “You just won the big prize here. You did it.”

                “I want to see her. The little girl.” Anna sighed.

                “I am right here.” Emilie whispered. “You brought me back. You brought me back so I can be with my father again. I don’t know who you are but I will be forever grateful to you for this.” Saying this, the girl gave her a little hug that made her feel even more miserable. What if the effect was just temporary and she was going to fail? But Victor smiled at her. “You did great, Annie, and I will keep my end of the bargain after this is finished. Now let’s go see your father, dearie, shall we?” he asked Emilie and she followed him, beaming with joy.  Because a few steps further from them, yes, there he was, her father, and even if he seemed a bit burnt ( _because of me_ , the girl thought with guilt) he was in one piece. So when she ran to hug him she was shocked to see the coldness in his eyes.

                “Who the hell are you?” Her father asked coldly.

                “Daddy, I am your daughter!” she said with a bit of protest in her eyes, but the man didn’t listen to her anymore. He glared at Victor but he only smiled at him.

                “You’ve had a hard trip, Aaron. You just need some rest and you will be fine.”

                “My name is not Aaron and this girl is not my daughter. Now I don’t know what you did to me, but I swear to God I will make you pay for this.”

                “Really? And what is your name then?”

                “My name is-“ The man paused here not knowing what to say. It was as if his memories had been wiped away. He glanced one more time at the little girl and a part of him told her that she was indeed his daughter. And that she died because of him. Yes, he remembered now that he was the one who had killed his daughter. Although he didn’t do it alone, not quite. He had had help.

                “You have no clue yet do you Aaron?” Victor laughed. “Go with me. It will make sense. Your name is Aaron and you have a ticket to Rome tomorrow. This is why you need to rest.”

                “I don’t want to be anywhere without my daughter.”

                “Oh she will come with you, don’t worry.” Victor assured him. “Read a newspaper. It will make more sense. Preferably this one.” Victor said, taking a newspaper out of his coat.

                “It’s months old.” Aaron protested, but Victor silenced him. “Trust me. We will be very good friends if you do.”

                So Aaron took the newspaper and flipped through the pages, trying to make some sense of it. And strangely enough, the only thing that seemed to appeal to him was a ten word story on the last page. But that story brought a flicker of light to his eyes. A flicker of light that was so dark in its own way that it scared Anna. What had she done? 


End file.
